AF/X-Race ECU

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:13 pm

yeah so i once again tried to clear it. unplugged the battery and unclipped the 02 sensor (closed the bung off with a dead o2 sensor with the wires cut off, and took a clip with the wires cut off and put them on the end of the o2 signal wire so they dont rust and get nasty)

anyway it started without a CEL but it came back on after about 1 mile. im now at the 6th start up and it hasnt gone out. howell gave me an RGA now so im supposed to return and pay for shipped so they can reprogram and take another 4 months. if nothing is wrong then im charged the price of shipping, if something is wrong then they hopefully fix it and again i wait 4 months

Wisher2 · Post by **Wisher2** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:32 am

Dude you should really take a road trip and drive down there.......I dont suspect that it would be to long of a drive from PA. I would only worry about those mutant humans in West VA

.....I personally dont think I would be able to deal with a another 4 month wait or with Howell.....It pisses me off just reading your post........I dont understand how someone can run a business and be that horrible witrh their customers. Yeah I would def pay them a visit....

dawm · Post by **dawm** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:02 pm

im thinking of getting the 02 race, with my tax refund regardless of the issues.. i'm gonna need it for when i upgrade my cam.

i just dont think i could wait 4months =(

anyone know if it takes care of the UDP issue on 2002's? or would ordering a 2001 and putting it on a 2002 work?

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 3:12 pm

well turns out howell has some customer service. i spoke with gary and theres a few possible problems. 1) possibly broke a pin when putting the connectors on, 2) the fact that the ecu isnt made for a magnum *never heard of this one before*, 3) the core ecu i bought was not from an '01

gary said hell try and work with me if #3 is the case. either way it looks like itll be going back to howell.

the car sputters, spits, stalls, and bucks during normal driving

EDIT: its def not #1. just checked the pins and sockets and everything is copesetic. im kinda HOPING that its the incorrect year thats causing this problem. could be the ecu, however, the ecu would be able to tell me that there is a problem with itself and thats not the case

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 3:33 pm

it ran fine prior to running it without an oxygen sensor, though the CEL was still on. if worse comes to worse i guess ill just have to deal with the CEL being on.

atleast i know my original stock r/t ecu is in perfect running order so i can just switch back to that for emissions/inspection

dawm · Post by **dawm** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:38 pm

so to rule out #2, get a core thats the same year? what i dont udnerstand is howell's site says you send the core after purchase, it doesnt state you send it in for them to flash/program.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:18 pm

just talked to the guy i bought the ecu from.... sure enough it came off of an '01 magnum

i think ill just bite the bullet here, plug the downstream o2 in (seems it does read it afterall), and just deal with the CEL being on. atleast it wont bog, dye, and buck on me.

lilwad3 · Post by **lilwad3** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:39 am

just to let ya know p 0134 is an upstream code not a downstream, and 0132 is o2 input voltage above normal.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:58 am

yes but this still only comes on with the af/x-race.... luckily i kept my stock one and that one isnt throwing any CELs

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:06 am

CEL went out for a little while but came back on after getting on the gas

rice_eater · Post by **rice_eater** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:20 am

yo yo yo, just add a JET chip inline and it'll take care of everything

01rtgurl · Post by **01rtgurl** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:46 pm

hey tama, i got mine today, ill hopefully pull the butterflies and plug it in sometime this week (might be the weekend). we'll see if it's just yours. if anybody's car should act funny, it'll be mine... mine is the f*ckin weirdest car ever.... (im not the only one that thinks that either) ... we'll see. I just want to put the thing in so damn bad im gonna pull the secondaries for now... lower end torque loss be damned!!!!!!!!!!!!

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:36 pm

the low end loss is negligible. its the midrange that youll lose

01rtgurl · Post by **01rtgurl** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:53 pm

tamadrumr88 wrote:the low end loss is negligible. its the midrange that youll lose

If you have some free time, mind explaining just HOW you take the butterflies out!? Looking at it... it looks hard.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:02 pm

remove intake and throttle body. 5 bolts on top of intake manifold. theres a support bracket underneath. unclip the two sensors on the back passenger side, and passenger side of the lower part of the intake manifold. everyone says to pull the 2 hoses (brake booster and vacuum lines) but neither of mine would come off so i just pulled and tugged it into position where the intake WAS. i pretty much just slid it to the drivers side of the engine and disassembled it that way, it wouldnt come completely out.

theres two screws for each of the 4 butterflies, i had to drill on out.

MAKE SURE TO USE WD-40 ON EVERYTHING!!!

01rtgurl · Post by **01rtgurl** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:13 pm

bump for updates!

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:39 pm

p0132 - 1/1 o2 sensor shorted to voltage (1/1 = upstream)
p0134 - 1/1 o2 sensor stays at center

heres what happened...

howell ecu...
upstream and downstream o2 plugged in produces: P0134, P0132
only upstream plugged in produces: P0134, P0132
only downstream plugged in prodcues: P0134

stock r/t ecu...
upstream and downstream o2 plugged in produces: no codes
only upstream plugged in produces: no codes
only downstream plugged in produces: P0134

so it looks as if the downstream o2 has no bearing whatsoever on the CEL, regardless of PCM. since neither CEL is produced with the stock ecu and both o2's plugged in, that rules out a defective o2 sensor. i tried swapping 02 sensors (plugging upstream sensor to downstream o2, and vice versa) but the connectors arent the same so that didnt work. the howell ecu is throwing P0134 regardless

looks like the ecu is going back to howell hopefully they find something wrong with it. i was told he'll "see what he can do" if it still throws the code. im going to be really upset if that $400 turns into a donation to howell automotive if this doesnt get fixed (because ive heard how they can be when it comes to refunds) but i still have faith in them

01rtgurl · Post by **01rtgurl** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:54 pm

that sucks. wonder what gives.